Skin
by Hot-topical-cas
Summary: Dean Winchester can get himself out of a titanium box, Why can't he get out of this place?
1. Chapter 1

Dean's life could've been written in skin. Well, in a way it was.

One of the only concrete memories he had of his mother: lying with his head on her shoulder while she rocked him in the rocking chair and watching the skin around her eye crinkle when she smiled.

All the times he'd touched his baby brother's skin, rubbed shampoo into his scalp, ripped bandaids off his toddler skin when Sam had been too scared, blown kisses on scraped knees cause that makes it better Sammy.

The first time he put his dad's leather jacket on, another skin outside his own, shrugged it on like a stretched-out talisman and went to get his brother.

After he hit a certain age he'd talk to girls and see things written in their skin: the flush of want and the shallow heave of heightened breath and the slight whitening of skin around tensed knuckles. And then their skin against his, sweat and sex and pleasure, but in the end still something separating him from them.

With Sam he shared a single skin so that their senses flowed towards each other: trapped within each others pain, bound into each others wellness, the laughter of either one like a shared frisson between them. In the end words are a poor substitute for the unspoken knowledge of common skin. While they shared the same skin, and family blood running through their veins, they were both very different. They had different standards, different memories. Dean's thoughts were more complex, in a way he thought harder than Sam, The first thought that entered his mind before every decision was _Sammy._ How would this effect Sam? Would he be okay with it? In mornings out of habitual practice, he always checked the salt lines under the motel door, this morning they were untouched. So he turned around and saw his slumbering brother, Long and lanky, but completely solid in his tangled form. Dean knew if he dropped his gun on the ground loudly enough, that Sam would scramble up and draw his. He laughs at the thought but insists on silently waking him after his trip to the restroom. Dean walked to his duffel of things and pulled out his clothes for the day along with some toiletries for the shower. Just a simple action that most people would do without fretting, But Dean glanced around his shoulder every few seconds, making sure the monsters were still under the bed where they should be.

And as he lightly stepped into the bathroom, being sure not to wake Sammy, Dean set his apparel on the counter top, belt clacking against the sink to which he winced, then mumbled quietly,"I hope Sam didn't hear that."

Bellaire, Kansas.

She smelled like danger, and danger smelled like gasoline. She walked down the hall with dignity, the flashing red lights made her look angrier than she already was. The blaring sirens that bounced off the walls hurt her ears, but strengthened her pride. Rayne came to a four way intersection in the dark walls of her captors home, the bright light clearly meant exit, right? There were footsteps behind her, not too far away, She quickly made her way left towards the light. Rayne could barely feel her feet hit the floor as she ran down the bland colored hallway, she ran past windows looking into an office that thankfully wasn't occupied. Hope filled her limbs and fear was tossed on the back burner, a door! She had never been so happy to see an ordinary glass door, the sun shined through so brilliantly. Rayne started running faster now, she was ten feet away, five, one, her hands slammed on the bar latch so hard it stung. The air was no longer stuffy, her lungs were completely filled with joyous, pure air, Her feet didn't stop running, although she wasn't sure where to go. The door slammed somewhere twenty feet back behind her, Rayne heard his yelling cries, "You have no idea what you're messing with. You think you're being a hero, but you're just being a fool!" Her captor screamed, Rayne looked around at her possibilities, The pavement? He could run her over with his great big truck, She could run around the building? But then she'd be caught for sure by one of his goons. So Rayne took for the woods, the skies were smokey gray, it would be pouring rain out soon. If she was under the cover of the trees, She knew it would be okay. Rayne's scrub pants caught on her foot and she began to stumble forward, falling on her knees. She could see in between her knees as she fell, her captor was gaining on her. She scrambled to her feet in the biggest hurry of her life, the tree line was only a few feet away. "Rayne!" He taunted, She turned at the mention of her name, "If you know whats good for you, You'll stay right there Baby girl." Her stomach twisted in knots, If she stayed right here he'd kill her, he'd drag Rayne inside by her hair and tie her down to the bed again. The men would stand there and laugh again, So no, she would not be staying there any longer.

The woods were tricky, Rayne was weaving in and out of trees, jumping over rocks, anything she could do to escape him. His taunts echoed through the trees and past her, she tried not to listen, running scared. The forest was blanketed in dead leaves, they crunched and mushed under her toes while she ran, she stampers through a small stream, it seemed to be that Rayne was higher up than she thought she was. Her path took a quick tilt downward, now she was struggling to stay on her feet as she slid past trees, and over took branches under her feet. The ground finally started to even out, under her was thick limestone. Rayne giggled with joy, her new found freedom made her back into her old self. She hadn't seen the forest for three years too long, but her glee ended when she saw her captor a top of the hill she had just slid down. "I thought we were having fun." He feigned sadness, Rayne's chest felt like it was going to burst from panic. Her feet took off across the ground as if they had a mind of their own. Tears started pouring down her cheeks, hope slowly started to drain from her mind. The darkness crept back into her thoughts, the trees were thinning, which meant less cover or civilization. One of those weren't good. Her path came to an abrupt stop, the stone led down into a canyon around 30 feet deep. The river was roaring and splashing off the walls. She was stuck.

"Rayne, I know what you're thinking." She turned to see Gage, Her captor, covered in dead leaves and mud. "Don't do it." His grin encouraged Rayne more, he came closer to her. She stepped back, her foot slipping dangerously close to the edge.

At least she'd be remembered this way.


	2. Chapter 2: Nobody can save me now

Dean impatiently tapped his foot while waiting for Sam to seal up his bag and toss it in the trunk of the Impala. His anxiousness only proved Sam to move slower due to the amount of questions he was asking,

"Are you going to stop tapping your foot? I'm done." Sam whined, Dean straightened from where he was leaning on the motel pole and slipped into the car wordlessly, much to Sams dismay. Once they were both seated and ready, Dean started the car,

"Better strap in fresh prince, We're going to Bellaire."

"Dean we haven't been to the bunker in four months, Can we at least go back for the day?" Sam was right, They hadn't stopped hunting because its what felt right. Dean would love to go back to the bunker and sleep for a few, but he'd feel like he was missing out on things, people could die if he wasn't there to save them. He had recently came across a hunt just forty five minutes away from Lebanon, which meant in between searches they could go home to sleep, just what Sammy needed.

"Relax, We'll be there in an hour and half, you can sleep now and after we interview a couple people we'll go home, Okay?" Dean shifted the car into gear and took off, He knew how grumpy Sam could be when he hadn't had his beauty rest so he settled for no music while he drove, just him and his thoughts while he listened to the purr of the engine and his brothers quiet snores. Being on the road a lot meant so much time to ponder over his life, would he change it? Hell yeah. Could he? No, But he was also happy with where he was, just his brother and himself on the road. How many people could say they've visited all of the states in the US? He has also tried almost every kind pie that has ever existed, He's even saved the world before with a few minor casualties, Dean Winchester had done it all. But deep down inside, there was things he yearned to experience, again or maybe for the first time, Dean wanted love. But he didn't know how to approach the idea of so called love, It wasn't like he could just find some woman somewhere and keep her locked up in the bunker for his all intensive purposes, No woman wants to be kept away from the world that much. What about his hunts that last longer than a week? Would she be okay without him? He had thought about it a million different ways, It wasn't a possible dream so it wouldn't happen. He didn't want to date another hunter because she'd be in the line of fire alongside him, but he also didn't want weak sauce. Coming to the conclusion it wasn't to be, was easiest.

Dean only stopped once to get gas before they reached Bellaire, The town was hardly a town, Dean didn't even think there was a post office. But the large, bustling grain mill was a place to start asking questions. With Sam still asleep beside him, he parked the Impala at the very end of the large gravel lot. Looking down at himself, his newer pair of jeans paired with his usual undershirt and military jacket, he realized that his outfit was nowhere near Government official material. Dean tapped his brothers shoulder a few times before he shook upward slapping the window to brace himself.

"Sammy, wake up! We're here." Dean said gently, Sam looked at his surroundings before stepping out of the car, Dean followed and they began their pre hunt ritual. Today they were the health department, they needed to inspect the grain cyllos for worms, they would just happen to ask about the five annual disappearances.

"Here. Frank McCartney." Sam said as he passed Dean his badge, He stuck it in the pocket of his peacoat and made his way toward the main building. The chilling January air blew against his face and stung his eyes, but he endured it, He endured it all. Once they arrived at the office, Sam took the lead asking questions and almost flirting with the front desk lady, (If only he would lose the hair.)

"Would you show me the way Melody?" Sam asked her, Melody tossed her blonde hair behind her back and stood in the lead. Dean stayed in the room, an effort to not offset his brothers game, but also to do some snooping. He quickly got to work sifting through things, making sure there were no hex bags hidden behind the paintings, so far it was clean. Dean decided to take to the mill barns. He looked up at the cloudy sky when he walked out the door thinking maybe it was a legend, the disappearances. His heart almost dropped at the thought, He didn't like to waste time anymore than he liked to listen to Sam complain about organic fruit or whatever it was he ate. Dean neared a big silver, half moon style aircraft garage, It was open and enormous, he turned his head to casually peek inside while he walked on by, thats when he saw it.

It was a black book, lying on the ground. "Could be anything? Right?" He thought to himself, Dean carefully stepped towards it while reaching for his gun that was held in his belt,

"Nobody can save you now." It was barely a whisper in the wind, Dean froze halfway to the book looking from place to place. He kept moving towards the book, by now he could see that the cover read, "163" A few more steps forward and he was right next to it. Dean bent down to grab it by the frail, old pages. Once he straightened, he flipped to the first page, It read:

Lesson one: I will not be your sometimes.

Dean would have flipped to the second page, if he hadn't been injected with a sedative.


	3. Chapter 3: I'm not going to kill you

Dean never understood the idea of human trafficking.

Sure people buy women off the black market to use for their own sick, twisted purposes. But no one would want a moody thirty five year old with daddy issues. He at least thought that's what he had gotten himself into. Or maybe this is some ritualistic creature? Maybe a leviathan ring? Vampire nest? The possibilities were endless.

He woke up from the sedative after what he could only figure to be twenty four hours, in a room full of bunk beds, he happened to be in the only twin bed without another on top due to his size he guessed. The room was dark, the only light shone through barred windows from the early morning sun. Dean stood up for a moment, catching his breath and calming himself. The other beds were full. He wasn't alone and soon wouldn't be the only one awake. A nervous tick of his own was to shove his hands in his pockets, usually while rocking back and forth. But when he reached for his pockets he realized that they had been replaced with grey sweat pants, his coat and button up also replaced with a plain black tee shirt. This was messy, someone had touched him and even bothered to change his clothes. Dean's first line of defense was down, all of his knives and toys had had been taken away, he wasn't giving up yet.

Just then, a siren sounded. A screeching, beeping, ten-times-worse-than-a-school-fire-alarm type of noise. Dean dove for his pillow in an effort to cover his ears. It kept going even after he took shelter, until it didn't. Dean lifted his head to see that the lights were on, and everyone around him was moving, most all of them dressed similar to himself. He saw a teenage boy help a little girl off the top bunk, a small boy holding another's hand. They were all leaving out a set of double doors across the room. There had to be at least twenty children in this room. But why take him if all they had was kids? Dean was the only one left except the two kids on the bunk next to him. Two teenage boys, the one on the bottom had scruffy, dark curly hair and freckles dotting his cheeks. He sat up and pulled on a pair of socks.

"Jimmy wake up!" He loudly hit the bottom of the other boys bed. Jimmy didn't appear to respond for a moment, but quickly hopped over the side and landed on the floor next to his friend. Dean noticed that oddly enough from behind, they looked like the same person.

"Is Rain back?"

"No." Jimmy said, the other deeply sighed. While Jimmy pulled him towards the door, but he instinctively froze when he saw Dean.

"We're going we promise!" Jimmy frantically pushed his brother toward the door, They were twins, the only thing telling them apart was their noses.

"Wait!" Dean shouted, "I'm here just like you!"

Jimmy let go of the one who was not Jimmy and obviously his twin brother. The twins gave him a once over,

"Well what are you waiting for? Let's eat!" He ran out the loud door leaving Dean and Jimmy behind.

Jimmy turned to him, "Don't mind Fredrick, He's always giddy."

"I can see that." Dean shuffled towards the door, Jimmy followed behind.

Dean had been to prison before his kidnapping, even maximum security didn't compare to this place. Where as before he had thought there had only been twenty people caught, instead there were hundreds. He walked down the dull yellow hallway towards what Jimmy had described as the mess hall. He passed groups of children, cliques of teenagers, but no other adults. They rounded a corner and Jimmy pushed a set of grey double doors open with his fist. Dean was in no way prepared for this. It was like a school cafeteria, except there wasn't as much commotion. All of the kids spoke in hushed tones, some not even at all. Jimmy pulled him out of his daze long enough for Dean to realize he was holding up the line.

"Hey, you doing alright?" Jimmy said.

The emotions swimming behind Dean's eyes were enough for Jimmy to understand. He swallowed but there were no words, disgust trailed his every move, even the girl that smiled at him through the buffet glass rebuked her motion. He walked behind Jimmy through the rows of tables, everyone was staring at him. Wonder sparkled in each of their eyes, it reminded Dean of Sammy's young days. When he worked so hard to preserve his brother's innocence and wonder, then ruined by their father.

They sat down at an empty long table where more captives would soon join them on either side. The children's hushed voices picked up a bit as he began to take small bites of his tuna melt sandwich. Jimmy ranted and raved in front of him, but all was tuned out by the whirring thoughts traveling through his head.

"How long have you been here?" Dean blurted while licking his thumb free of meat. Jimmy pondered his question for a moment,

"What year is it?" He asked.

Confused, Dean answered. "Twenty fifteen."

His eyes dropped to the floor, everyone at the table noticed his sad demeanor and began asking what was wrong.

"I. Um..." His voice trembled, "I guess I've been here six years now. Me and my brother at least."

Six.

Six years.

Six mother fucking years and they didn't catch this case sooner? Dean was livid, disappointed in himself for not being here long ago. These kids didn't deserve this, and what for? All of the questions he had would have to be answered in due timing. That siren started sounding again, but it only chimed twice, and a set of doors he hadn't seen anyone go in or out of opened. The first guy to enter was tall, lithe body disguised by a loose fitting button up shirt, He looked most important out of all of them. Behind him were two men trailing what appeared to be a girl. Dean couldn't tell, there was a bag over their head hiding any sort of gender marker. Tiny feet. Definitely a girl.

"I take it you all have had a fine brunch this morning, unfortunately I am here with a public service announcement." Fancy suit spoke. Then he took the girl and pushed her to her knees on the floor, pulling the bag off her head.

She had blonde hair that was tied back in a torn up, messy bun. Her eyes were dull and pained. She represented the color grey in her skin tone, also dotted with cuts and bruises.

"ISN'T SHE BEAUTIFUL?" He cackled, actually cackled. Dean couldn't believe this guy. He looked back down at the girl,

Her eyes fell shut momentarily, they snapped back open when she realized she was falling. The guards picked her up and drug her forward to the only open seat, the one in front of him.

"Let this be a lesson to you all! Do not escape or we will find you! Ultimately your choice to to surrender or be held captive until you do." He started for the door with his goons, giggling like a five year old with a new toy. "Let her be representation of the repercussions you will face if you even try!" He sang right before the doors slammed behind him. Dean faced the girl in front of him once again. Jimmy, Frederick, and a few of his roommates surrounded her. One of them even brought her food.

"Rayne, we missed you!" A small girl cried, in her lap while she consoled another. A smile appeared on her grey features making them not so dark anymore. Dean made eye contact with her for a moment, and again. Dean could only wonder what she was thinking, until she smiled at him,

"Hello."


	4. Chapter 4: Flashbacks

The walk back to his room, or the dorm as everyone called it, was uneventful. Except Dean couldn't keep his eye off the bruised woman he sat across from minutes ago. She was bone thin, blonde just like his mother. Her walk in front of him had a slight limp to it, anger boiled under his skin at the sight of her. Not that she had done anything; but who in their right mind beats a woman? Jimmy and Freddie were on either side of her body making sure she stood up right. Jimmy kept making her laugh, he wished he could laugh. But instead his insides are filled with bitter sorrow and the feeling of absence where his brother should be. On top of his sadness, he was jittery, every little noise pricking his eardrum and causing him to to lose focus altogether. Dean hadn't even noticed that he was already sitting on his single bed, all in the middle of everyone's bunk bed.

He was different and he knew it.

"Come here often?"

A breathy sigh escaped Dean's lips before he turned to see her. Rayne stood still, towel in hand, fresh from the shower. The dirt on her face long gone now replaced with tiny freckles that dotted her cheeks. Humor, she had used humor on him, that is exactly what he needed.

"Where's the shower?" He asked.

"Oh, It's just beyond those doors over there," She pointed to a set of grey door on the opposite side of the room,"All of our clothes, the showers, the bathrooms, and first aid kinda stuff are in there." Rayne sat across from him on her bunk, giving him a soft, sad smile. This was it, it was his turn to exchange some sort of small talk, if he waited any longer it would become awkward,

Dean puffed a sigh, "Can I ask you something?"

"Yes." She said.

"How long have you been here?"

"I was the first."

"The first abduction?"

"Yes." The answer Rayne gave him was forced, but she retaliated quickly. "Why are you here?" Her eye contact was fierce, she expected him to know.

"I-I don't know?" It came out as a question, he looked away from her, He was a ghost of his awkward teenage self today.

"You have to know, They want something from you."

"They?" Dean's voice rose to hysterics,

"Hey," Rayne stood up and and sat next to him on his bed, her willowy frame barely making a dip next to him. "You have to stay positive, You have to have hope for tomorrow. Look at all of these guys."

Dean looked around the room at of the adolescents occupying it, a teenage girl with bouncy curls sat on a bed reading a book to her sister, Jimmy and Freddie laughed in the corner with some other boys. It almost appeared he was at summer camp instead of a prison, They were stable, he needed to be that way too.

"How do we get out?"

"We don't," She said, "Not yet."

Dean stood, "Could you show me the showers?"

Rayne didn't expect the man to be so melancholy, he hid his emotions behind a neutral expression. His green eyes only show a surface of who he really is, maybe that's how he always has to be. She began walking toward the sink room, he followed behind at a safe distance.

Distance is exactly what she needed.

"This is the sink room." She said as she introduced the new setting to him, His eyes averted from hers while he took in the fifteen feet concrete walls, a top them, windows where sunlight shone through. Rayne thought this was the happiest room despite its greyness, The sunlight made her feel better on her worst days. She led him past the sinks and toilets and into the towel room, a simple area filled with racks of tee shirts and stacks of neatly folded sweat pants. Two washer-dryer combos sat in the corner waiting to be changed. Cameron, One of the teenage boys held captive with her exited the shower with a few other boys, he waved and smiled at her.

"So that's where you shower." She pointed towards door and swiftly grabbed a towel from one of the stacks, offering it to Dean. He rubbed his stubbly chin before taking it out of her hand,

"Thank you." And he left without another word.

Rayne had chores she needed to catch up on, But the pain in her side from what most likely was a broken rib prevented that. She walked back into the main room, where everyone was gathered around Paige's bed. Rayne moved to the outside of the circle and listened to the story she was telling.

"And then, I ate squid ink!" Everyone laughed, Paige was a social magnet, everyone loved being around the fourteen year old and her younger sister Kate, whom she loved so dearly. They looked so similar looking at them now, Kate in her lap, their curly blonde hair almost tangling together. If only it was always this peaceful.

 _"_ _You're never getting out of here, not until you tell me where it is."_

Her heart beats faster, she turns and runs to her bed. That voice, over and over it's all she hears, for weeks on end in that white room. The men, the faceless, terrible men. Her screams are heard by everyone in the room.

Including Dean.

 _"_ _You will obey."_

 _The blood drips down the walls, her blood._

 _"_ _You will obey."_

 _He grabs another knife, as if the ones in his fingertips aren't sharp enough._

 _"_ _You will obey."_

 _He starts humming a song, and digging, digging at her abdomen._

"RAYNE!"


End file.
